Fracture
by foxgloves
Summary: He wants her. And if she'll just let herself... maybe she wants him too. Damn it, status will remain 'Complete', but keep your eyes peeled for additions as this is undoubtedly turning into a collection of sorts. Newest addition: Patience.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Kinda bored. Kinda have writers block. Here's a pithy, moody one-shot.

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**Fracture**

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When she trudged into class, only a scant few minutes before the bell, she was immediately swarmed, and he watched.

"Kagome-chan! Are you okay?! Your arm!"

A telltale wince pinched the area between her eyebrows before it smoothed out, there and gone in a blink, at the cacophony of voices asking about the cast sheathing her arm. She was a good actress; perfect at being sheepish, and, he lamented miserably, _cute. _She laughingly described a clumsy tumble down the shrine steps.

Kawabata-sensei crossed into the classroom not a minute later and the gathering scattered, each student taking their respective seat, and she shuffled over to her desk, her arm cradled gingerly to her chest by a sling. The lesson began and he listened with half an ear.

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The bell sounded. Chairs scuffed the floor as the students gratefully rose.

"Higurashi," Kawabata-sensei announced, drawing the classroom's attention, "Today was supposed to be you for cleaning, however it would seem you're…incapacitated."

She blushed, mumbling, "I can still do it, sensei…"

"I don't think you're in any shape to be lifting chairs," he argued, turning his attention to the rest of the class, "So, then, will there be any takers to help out Higurashi with her cleaning duties today?"

There was a strained silence; everyone abhorred cleaning duty. Feet shuffled; eyeballs bounced around in every direction in avoidance.

"I will stay."

At his quiet declaration, there was a mixture of glaring, and Kagome slunk deep into her chair with red cheeks and a chorus of girlish swoons because he was _such a gentleman_.

"Ah!" the man remarked brightly, "Thank you for your initiative, Minamino. Class dismissed!"

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He lifted chairs onto desktops and she wiped away the lesson on the blackboard.

"You didn't have to stay, Shuichi," she murmured.

"You can call me Kurama," he replied absently, "We are alone."

She huffed. "You didn't have to stay, _Kurama."_

The red-headed boy could feel her discomfort thick in the air. Finishing with the last chair, he came up to the front of the room, standing behind her. Her back was taut, just like the bowstrings where she would once upon a time notch her mystical arrows.

"You tried the well again, didn't you?" he gently accused.

"Don't…" she whispered. He smelt salt in the air and knew tears were blurring the eyes he liked so much.

"Don't, what?" he pressed, moving closer to her, his chest almost against her back.

"Don't make me feel ashamed." She made a move to the left, only to find his hand planted against the blackboard. "Kurama, what are you doing?" she questioned, her voice tight. One slight step forward and her back was against the board and he caged her in.

"He's dead, Kagome."

She froze. He wanted to shatter her. But he would help to pick her back up if only the stubborn, _loyal_ girl would let him. Her loyalty was one of her most beautiful qualities, but he was selfish enough to disgrace it just so he could have her.

"You… you don't know that. You don't know him!" she denied, staring hard down at the floor and refusing to meet his eyes.

His fingers tilted her trembling chin up and her eyes were stormy. "He's gone, Kagome. I found the records," Kurama asserted, watching her shell minutely crack, sorry that he was hurting her, but he was convinced he could _make_ it go away. By now she would've pushed him away. Only sometimes would she let him get close, because deep down he thought she was scared of herself; scared that she was giving in. She was resilient, though. And he admired that too… most of the time.

"I raised a kitsune," she gritted out, "I know what you're trying to do. Manipulate me. Once you're bored, you'll _leave."_

There it was. She was terrified, but maybe… maybe she wanted to move on.

"I _won't_," he gravely promised.

And he kissed her.

She pushed him with all the might of her one good arm and cried. He kissed her harder, tasting her tears, feeling them hot and wet on his cheek. Whimpering, she clenched her fingers into his jacket and pulled him as close as she could and broke into a million little pieces.

But she was still beautiful.


	2. Patience

A/N: Fracture was meant to stand alone, but I figured it was open-ending enough. Maybe once in awhile I'll add to it, like now, and detail their blossoming relationship in some other pieces. Sometimes drabbles, sometimes one-shots; It's not really a story; just a collection of fluffy moments. I'm not taking it too seriously. Nonetheless, enjoy!

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**Patience**

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Kurama idly decided that he always kissed Kagome. He was glad that she let him, of course, and she did kiss _back_, which was always enjoyable, and he allowed himself to believe that she _liked_ his kisses, but he digressed.

She just never kissed him _first_.

Sometimes he purposely wouldn't kiss her, just to see if she would, but he'd been disappointed more than once, and usually couldn't contain the urge to _not_ kiss her anyways, so he had given up on that particular venture entirely.

He sat at his desk, leaned back in his chair with one arm folded behind his head as he pondered the ceiling. Adjacent to him, Kagome lay on her stomach on his bed, gently kicking her legs back and forth as she dutifully battled her homework. She made small noises as her mind worked through the math problems and he watched her with an amused glint in his eyes. Eyebrows furrowed, lips pinched in a tight line, she scoured the pages, twirling her pencil between her slender fingers.

"I just don't…" she mumbled.

"Help?" Kurama offered glibly.

Kagome looked up, almost as if she'd forgotten he was there and they were studying at his house, and smiled gratefully. "_Please," _she begged.

He joined her on the bed, stroking his hand through her hair contently as he explained the equation that was required and where she had gone wrong with unending patience.

"Ohhh," she said, nodding vigorously. "Okay, I get it now!" she half-rolled onto her side, propping her head on her hand and smiled at him again. "Thank you," she murmured softly, "I could never get through math without my tutor."

"Always at your service," Kurama returned, tenderly brushing her spunky bangs from her eyes.

Her cheeks dusted pink and she coyly lowered her lashes, and his heartbeat kicked up. That sensation festered again, the need to press his lips to hers and he leaned in.

And she surprised him – _pleasantly – _when she pushed herself up and pulled him to her with her fingers in his hair and covered his mouth with hers in a sweetly, toe-curling kiss.

He sighed into her, cupping her face in his palms, imprinting the moment into his memory.

It had been worth the wait.


End file.
